Bruno Ruffo

Bruno Ruffo was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, born in Verona on 9 December 1920 and died on 10 February 2007, aged 86. He won three Grand Prix World Championships. In 1949 he won the inaugural 250cc World Championship for the Moto Guzzi factory. In 1950 Moto Guzzi told him to let his teammate win the 250cc title and he finished third, but that year he rode a Mondial to the 125cc World Championship, and in 1951 he again took the 250cc title with four victories. He retired in 1952 after an accident and opened a successful vehicle hire business in Verona, where a wrought iron monument to him was unveiled in 2009.